I recently purchased a print of a famous painting of the early martyrs in the coliseum. After some discussion, I decided to place the picture prominently in my dining room next to my chair where I often teach and speak to my family. The picture depicts the early Christians, young and old, gathered together while an elder stands and prays. From the ground emerges a lion and a tiger, hungry and ready to consume the faithful believers. In the foreground, two images contrast: Lining the edge of the arena are stakes with Christians who have been burnt alive, or are being consumed by the flames. Behind and around them are the faceless images of tens of thousands of spectators watching and laughing at the terrible fate of the martyrs. To my thinking, the juxtaposition of the crowd, the lions, the burning Christians, and those about to be consumed, is a profound representation of the antithesis between Christ and the world which must define the life of the believer.

For the last two nights during our family altar time, I have used the picture to teach my children the true meaning of being a Christian. They have been sobering but beautiful experiences. My prayer for my wife, myself, and each of my children is that we will live well by resolving now to die well, should God call any to make the ultimate sacrifice for their Lord. In my own life, it was the reading of Foxes Book of Martyrs at age fourteen which forever transformed my view of the Christian’s walk. Now I hope to share this message with my own loved ones.

There are those who believe that we should hide such truth as martyrdom from our children, but I think that to advocate such a view is to misunderstand holiness. It is to relegate the Bible to a book of cute children’s stories rather than the true saga of the battle between the kingdom of life and the kingdom of death. Such individuals would overlook the execution of the entire world by the Lord at the time of the Flood, the beheading of Goliath by a little boy, and perhaps even the agonies of the Cross. God, who is holy and who defines propriety, has given us a book which He commands to be read to our children. They must know of sin, death, and judgment form their earliest days, as well as of hope, redemption, and victory. Yes, biblical wisdom dictates the how and when of the way we communicate such truths, but we must not shirk from reading the whole Law of God and His wonders and praises to even our infants and little ones, as He has commanded.

I am also reminded that the images we display in our homes have a greater impact than we might imagine in the lives of our children. Our children look at these thousands of times, and though they may never comment on them, the sights and sounds of the home become tools to help them absorb and internalize the culture of the family in ways that are more profound than any of us dare to imagine. The music, the smells, and the images of family life help to define their view of Christian culture. We must live deliberately and choose wisely if we are to “take every thought captive” and rebuild the culture of the Christian household.